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self-care
I'm about to tape my mouth closed to sleep better
So I just did a thing
I've been working on my breath for a while now - first to help with pelvic floor issues (thank you Hypopressives), then to help with stress (Hyoppressives and slow breathing techniques along with vagal nerve work)
These have been very effective and are easy to fit in
But there are two markers that have been bothering me for a while
One is my average number of breaths per minute
When I first started it was around 16 breaths. According to Patrick McKeown anything above …
Back mobility exercises
As part of March Matness this week I'm looking at exercises you can do to help your back mobility.
Working on back mobility can help with stiffness, pain, pelvic floor issues and core strength as well as help to avoid injury
All the moves should feel comfortable - we're not trying to push
Heart health - the final part of the puzzle
So far we've looked at a few things that can help with heart health, for various reasons:
- cardio exercise - strengthens the heart and lungs
- strength exercise - lowers blood pressure
- Pilates/yoga/mobility - reducing stiffness in the upper body, which will reduce arterial stiffness
The final part to consider is - relaxation, stress management and sleep
Insomnia at midlife can raise a woman's risk of a heart attack by 70%
Exercising can help with stress reduction, relaxation and sleep - j…
Relaxation technique for people who can't relax their muscles
Perhaps being told to relax your muscles does nothing for you!
If so this method is for you - it's a way to use that tension to then be able to let go. Helping you to relax more easily
Muscular stiffness and your heart
So far we've looked at heart health in women, particularly around menopause, and how movement can help you - both cardio and strength workouts.
But where does that leave mind body exercises like Pilates and yoga?
As I said last week, bodyweight strength counts as much as lifting weights does - so any squat, lunge, hinge, push, pull moves you might be doing will help with lowering blood pressure in the same way.
But there is another reason why it helps
Stiffness in the upper body is related t…
Can squats help your heart?
Or can strength training help too?
Healthy Hearts - and how to get them
February is Heart Month, so I've been focusing a little bit on cardiovascular exercise recently
Cardio exercise - exercise that makes your heart rate go up - is one of a few ways to improve your heart health. Other factors you can look at:
- regular exercise - not just cardio
- healthy diet
- healthy weight
- quit smoking
- limit alcohol intake
- manage stress
- prioritise sleep
- move more often - not just exercise but throughout your day
- stay hydrated
The thing I love about exercise is that it…
Keeping going when the pain is no longer there
Our health is one of those weird things that we don't really think about until something isn't working properly or we are in pain
I think why I didn't enjoy pregnancy the first time round was because I expected things to work/feel as they always did, and that definitely wasn't true anymore! It's also why peri-menopause is a challenge...
I certainly never considered my pelvic floor until after having my first baby/prolapse
And when I injured my back, the constant pain impacted everything I di…
Preventing injury vs recovering from injury
After the tale of my thumb injury in last week's email it turns out I am, as my family would say, in the wars
We went for a little wander last week before school started again
I went to cross the road and stepped off the kerb - not realising it was a double kerb
So my foot landed too heavy too soon, my ankle gave way and I fell onto both knees into the road
Luckily it was a Sunday and there was no traffic!
But I hurt my ankles, knees and feet - and my pride!
I was worried that it would ham…
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